Leavin' the Eastern Lands
by Madame-S-Butterfly
Summary: [complete!]A Theif. A Knight. A Joke. A Kiss.
1. A Joke

**Leaving the Eastern Lands**

**Disclaimer: **Me? Yeah, me no own nothing.

**Summary: **A Thief. A Knight. A Joke. A Kiss.

**Author's note: **This is an alternative first kiss scene.

----

It was a sunny afternoon, just the way Alanna liked it. Not cold, but not hot. No layers upon layers of clothing and no boys pestering her to swim.

The best part of the afternoon? That she could spend it with George, be herself and relax. She wasn't a girl disguised as a boy in a quest to become the first warrior maiden in over a century. No, with George, she was free to be Alanna.

"Life of a Knight getting' too tame? Had to come down t'the brawlin' city?" George asked her, while no one else was listening.

Alanna blushed slightly, hoping it wouldn't show. What type of a welcome was this? With a raised eyebrow, she responded, "It's your life which looks to be tame."

This was a complete lie. The life of the King of Rogues was never tame.

The thief shook his head. "Yer right. Nothin' too interestin' happens in this shabby old inn. I wake up t'do the same thin' every day. Go t'the markets, work all day long with me sweet Ma," George said with a grin. "Like I said, nothin' too interestin'."

Alanna smiled and went along with George's little joke, not wanting to be so serious all the time. And why shouldn't she have a little fun sometimes? "But don't you ever go out and do other things? Enjoy Life?"

"O' Course! But sometimes I have no clue what t'do," George said soberly. "There was a fair a while back. Went t'that."

Alanna noticed a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Oh, but have you ever tried something _fun_? Like traveling and seeing the country?"

He shrugged. "Tame old me? Never."

"Oh but you should try it," Alanna told him.

George frowned pretending to look hurt by her words. "I should try goin' t'another country? Yeh don't like me so much yeh want me t'leave Tortall?"

She laughed, lightly. "Oh I wouldn't say _that_."

"What would ye say then? Ye want me to leave th' entire Eastern Lands?" George had a look of hurt pride and Alanna was starting to wonder if he was still joking.

She didn't want George to go!

"But I like you here." She cringed inside. She had meant to tell him to stay, just not in the way she had.

"I like me here too," he said, touched by her rare show of emotion towards him. "But since ye said I should do somethin' with my life, I might have t'go." He waited to see if she would protest.

"No one said you couldn't do something with your life here," she snapped.

George moved his chin to be resting in his hand, as if considering whether to stay or go. "But what would the likes of me do here?"

Alanna wasn't going to answer this and remained perfectly silent. Then decided to say," You could stay here, for a start." All mockery was done with; the girls temper was emerging.

"Well I might have to say then." As the sentence went on, George's voice become quieter and Alanna did not like the way he was looking at her. Or the fact that he had just moved closer to her.

"You might have to," Alanna said, unsure of what to say.

He moved even closer, to Alanna's discomfort, to whisper in her ear, "I was never going t'actually leave."

The manner in which George was looking at Alanna began to frighten the poor girl. When she attempted to speak, her voice was little more than a whisper. "I never doubted you for a second."

"Good," George said, moving his gaze from her eyes, to her lips, then quickly back to her eyes.

Alanna noticed the change in his gaze and was suddenly frightened. Was this _relaxing _afternoon visit turning into something she didn't want it to?

The girl was even more frightened when George leaned in closer to her and planted a kiss on her lips.

Alanna was shocked by the kiss and immediately broke away, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

----

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**Madame-S-Butterfly**

**xoxo**


	2. A Knight

**Leaving the Eastern Lands**

**Disclaimer: **Me no own nothing. Zilch. Bonkers. Nil. Naught.

**Summary: **A Thief. A Knight. A Joke. A Kiss.

**Author's note:** I know I said it would be a one shot but I changed my mind. Instead I will provide four short fluffy chapters for you to read, two of which are already here.

----

So this is what it had come too.

After all the secrets, all the lies. Never knowing who your friends were and who wasn't. After all the rumors of enemies and traitors, this is what it had come down too.

War.

Just the sound of the word, made Alanna shiver. It was true that while she was younger, Alanna had dreamed of traveling on adventures and doing good deeds, for the good of Tortall.

But now that she was older and had seen the effect a battle could have on a person, war didn't sound all it was made up to be.

At lunch Alanna ate lightly, her thoughts on the upcoming war. Something elsewas nagging at her mind, but she couldn't quitetell what it was.

She needed to do something to clear her mind. After a morning of fencing, she was sore and tired, and had no intentions of picking up another sword for the remainder of the afternoon.

Alanna decided that a trip to the markets would be just what she needed. Before leaving, she knocked on Jon's door to tell him that she would be at the Corus markets, but there was no answer.

It wasn't surprising. Jon had spent the most part of the last two days in the war chamber with His Majesty and those who were to plan the war.

Walking out the palace gates, and smelling the city are made Alanna feel free. She wasn't Squire Alan, she was Alanna and there was still much to be learnt about _Alanna. _

As she was walking down the winding pebbled path which led to the markets, Alanna realized what had been nagging at her mind.

_George. _

If she died, she would never see George again. She would never be able to tell him that, underneath all the fear inside, she really did love him. Not that Alanna would ever admit it, but deep down, she knew she did.

Without even realizing it, she was at the door step of The Dancing Dove. Her mind had sub-consciously led her there.

Even though Alanna had frightened the wits out of herself, she opened the door to the dove. She was dismayed to discover George had left on rogue business and wouldn't be back until after she had left for war.

----

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**Madame-S-Butterfly**

**xoxo**


	3. A Theif

**Leaving the Eastern Lands **

**Disclaimer: **Me no own nothing. Zilch. Bonkers. Nil. Naught.

**Summary: **A Thief. A Knight. A Joke. A Kiss.

**Author's note: **A cookie for anyone who can guess the title of the next chapter.

----

It was nearing midnight, the inn was slowly emptying. Only those who George trusted were left, he noted. After locking the main doors and checking for any listening spells, he took his seat on his throne.

"Is there any other option?"

Marek shook his head. "None, ye will lose power if ye don't make an appearance soon. They're already doubting' ye."

"And it would do no good for the rogue t'be split in two," Rispah added.

George sighed, he had feared this. "I really hadn't wanted to leave at present time." Not with Alanna going to war so soon. They would have to leave immediately, he wouldn't even get a chance to say goodbye.

Damn these troublesome roguesGeorge cursed. Couldn't they just behave?

George silently laughed at his own question. Of course they wouldn't behave, they were rogues. The timing was just wrong. To visit them now would mean sacrificing saying goodbye to Alanna.

Being the Kind of Thieves brought duty, personal matters were supposed to come second.

George had considered sending someone else to Port Caynn to look after the rogues, but decided against it. You never knew when a friend would become an enemy. Wealth and power could change people beyond imagination.

"Alright, we leave tomorrow at sun rise." As much as it hurt him to say this, he knew he must go. He would have to leave or watch the rogue fall to crumbles. A letter to Alanna would have to do.

It would never _do_, but that was all he could manage.

George had sent a messenger bird to Stefan containing a message for Alanna. It had asked for Alanna to come down to the inn, since George couldn't go to the palace.

I guess she ignored the message, George thought.

He had realized he scared her away, but had hoped she would still come. Hope was all he could do and hoping was getting him no where.

Alanna, strong as any man but afraid of love.

----

They had been traveling for three hours. Every moment took him further and further away from Alanna. How was he to know if he was ever to see her again?

She was strong, a better swords_man_ than any man. But just as the sweating sickness did, the war took many lives and spared no one, no matter your strength.

He couldn't let Alanna ride off to war, without saying goodbye. He couldn't.

"Ye go ahead," he told Rispah. "I have t'go back to the Dove. I'll only be half a day's ride behind ye."

Rispah looked at her cousin skeptically.

George didn't notice, he was already on his way, galloping home.

----

After two and a half hours of riding hard, George had made it back to the Dancing Dove. Alanna wasn't there; he hadn't expected her to be. He turned and made his way to the palace, not taking note of anyone around him.

He began to jog, and then sprint, until he ran into someone and knocked them over. He had knocked down a red headed girl who was dressed as a young merchant lad.

----

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**Happy Reading**

**Madame-S-Butterfly**

**xoxo**


	4. A Kiss

**Leaving the Eastern Lands**

**Disclaimer: **How many times do I say it until it goes through that thick head of yours? I don't own anything!

**Summary: **A Thief. A Knight. A Joke. A Kiss.

**Author's note: **So my little tale comes to an end.

----

Much to her embarrassment, Alanna felt herself falling face first on the ground, with no time to stop herself. She felt a hand helping her to sit up.

"Ye alright lass?"

She knew that voice, it belonged to George! Wasn't he meant to be in Port Caynn by now? That's what the letter he had given her said.

Alanna nodded and looked up to see George's concerned face. "I'm sorry I ignored your letter, George, I came down to see you, but by then it was too late and–"

He silenced her with a kiss. This time, Alanna had no objections.

"I couldn't have ye riding off to war without ye knowing how I felt, could I?" George asked, his hazel eyes ablaze.

Alanna blushed and shook her head.

"I'm glad you didn't let me."

----

The people on the roads were watching the group of rogues very oddly, Rispah noted. He planned to ask George about this, when she first noticed her cousin's absence.

"Marek," she called out. He slowed his horse so he was now riding next to her. "Where's George?"

"He turned back a while ago."

"Back to Corus!"

Marek nodded. "T'Corus."

"I don't understand, the rogues need seeing too."

"That ol' Rogue has much on his plate and yet he'll shove it all aside for the love of his lass," Marek said knowingly. This only puzzled Rispah, _what lass?_

----

**Starlight and Notebook's last review inspried that last little scene!**

**Well that's the end! It was short, but I liked it.**

**So one last time, please REVIEW!**

**Happy Reading**

**Madame-S-Butterfly**

**xoxo**


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